The present invention relates to a rail vehicle including a frame for wheel mounts being pivotable about the vertical axis; the wheels running on parallel rails.
A rail vehicle of the type to which the invention pertains is for example disclosed in German Pat. No. 32 38 402. Herein any variance in the parallelism of the rails is compensated through transverse motion of the wheel mounts along well defined displacement axes. In the case of curves additional rotational mounts are provided whereby particularly for purposes of compensating irregularities in the rail mounting, the wheel mounts are pivotably suspended from the turning equipment. This way, the aforementioned non-uniformities in rail distance are compensated as well as distortions as they occur in situ or after certain period of time. Pendulum-like, or swing-like or swivel-like longitudinal carriers are arranged to both sides of the wheel bogie and they each carry in front as well as in the back pivotable wheel mounts. Owing to the twin arrangement for the two rails this is rather expensive equipment. Moreover, this kind of vehicle is often used in mining installations which is an environment permitting often the placement of rails only with a limited degree of accuracy, even under most careful working conditions. Such a vehicle has, in fact, altogether ten vertical pivot axes, six longitudinal axes, two transverse slide axes and three transverse swivel axes. Accordingly there are many hinges, swivels, pivot mounts and so forth in the vehicle which render the vehicle quite expensive and owing to a multitude of often superimposed pivot motions the vehicle runs basically in a rather shaky and unruly fashion.